Wingco57

Hi Barry, Wow what a nice piece of craftsmanship. Can you elaborate how you modified the rear fuselage? It looks well and truly cut up (makes me look like an amateur in comparison). I read that due to the larger engines the area rule (coke bottle shape) was lost. Cees

Thanks Carl. I may keep that in mind. This wil be a carbon copy of Frank's conversion. The intakes get some preliminary clean up. The edges look good. To keep the wing joint usable a cross brace is fitted. Next installmen will see some heavy cutting. Cheers Cees

Hi all. I have always admired the RAF Phantoms in dark green/ocean grey camouflage since I was a boy. They looked powerful and brutish not to mention much more different from the other Phantom oprators. In I /32 scale there are a few options. Wait for the upcoming HK Models kit, get a second mortgage to buy the Wild Hare conversion or....make your own conversion. I do not want to wait that long, a second mortgage is out of the question so option three would be it. Luckily I am not the only one with this desire. Master modeller Frank Mitchell did just that and with his articles on LSP for reference it was time to wield my trusty saw. Based on Tamiya's F-4J kit the differences are mostly in the intakes and rear fuselage/exhausts as te Spey was larger than the standard engines. The intakes need to be widened and the exhaust cans have a larger diameter and are shorter. With the articles to hand work began on the intakes. I let the pics do the talking. Cees

Hurry up man!

Thanks Robert, interesting comparison. You can also see the problems a manufacturer faces if everything is to be made as the real thing. The pedestal has a slight indentation which enables it to fit next to the pilot seat mounting. The brake leaver at the front needs to have the loop opened up. We have such a thing at the museum and it is really small, so in scale it would be tiny. Perhaps one made from wire would be an option. Cees

That's a nice kit, and a nice change from plastic kits. Never knew these came in 1/32 too. Cees

Wonderful progress Tom. I visited Solent Sky last year and got the chance to see the interior of the civilian Sunderland "Beachcomber". It was huge but the entry to the cockpit was via a very narrow ladder and smale square hole in the floor, I just managed to squeeze through. The interior consist of many compartments so your solution to provide strength seems to be a wise one. Cees

This is your version of a"quickie", looks great. Cees

Good to see you post this wonderful build on LSP too Tom. Have you dug out that Sunderland shaped garden pond already you were talking about? If you need some spare props and engines, I have a set lying somewhere from the Revell Beaufighter. Just let me know. Cees

Amazing craftsmanship...again. Peter you obviously have to think two or more steps ahead before even starting the skinning of the exterior. Do the drawings give any clue (there has to be a sequence on the drawings otherwise things go pearshaped in tight corners) or do you decide yourself? Cees

Be careful James as Sugar has been through many transformations. It depend at which point of her career you are going to build your model. If it is before the major overhaul in 1944 chances are that the windows are still present. Check your references. Cees

It has..a bit. Working on the oil cooler intakes which are almost recessed in the wing leading edge. The opening of which is quite large. Luckily I had some aluminium tubing lying around. With a very coarse round file the opening was carefully filed out to a tight fit. Then the tubing inserted and making sure they are square in the wing and also protrude the same. Phew, I'm happy.

Indeed, it's a huge kit and it looks like the box the B-17 came in. But it has it's quirks as is generally known. The turrets (especially the noseturret which was kissed by Frosty the Snowman) and the wingincidence relative to the fuselage are the most obvious. The engines look toylike and underdetailed. But the bottom line is that we have a basic kit which has it's flaws but could form the basis of a nice model built out of the box or a superdetailed/corrected masterpiece. Ian is already heating up his brain for a wingfix. Let's see what everyone has to say......

Well done Padawan!

Black cockpit sides is a postwar (or possibly Canadian production) modification. Please be warned that most extant Lancasters are Canadian built. James is building the Lanc that is on display at Hendon and was ordered as a Manchester, modified into a Lancaster and served all through the war. Apart from that she suffered a lot of vandalism during the years on outside display. Exhibit aircraft may not be an accurate reference. Cees

Nice topic, IIRC the pilot's floor was on a sort of warren truss structure, and not a solid wall. But pics should solve that problem. Mind you LSM provided technical assistance to HK Models regarding the exterior only. Cheers Cees

I was fondling my Airscale Lancaster set yesterday and am really impressed by it. I will use it on the Manchester first and have to be modified, But it's a real quality product. Cees

Got my kit yesterday and boy it's huge. I like it and will follow your build closely. Cees

John, It's no big deal to saw off the tips and clean them up. Matter of minutes. Try it, you will surprise yourself. Cees

Nah, talked with James about those around the end of November.

I thought this was a Junkers 88 topic?

There have been several cases of undercarriages folding while standing on the ground (Stirlings for instance) with casualties among groundcrew. It would have been logical to introduce those stays during wartime as well. Whether they were used only during overhaul is a good question. Maintenance was done out in the open regardless of the weather. Those groundcrew were unsung heroes having to work long hours into the night in rain, storm,snow, freezing temperatures etc. They got the job done. The aircrew were only just borrowing the aircraft from the groundcrew Cees

Another example that proves that the older models are still a viable option to build great models and learn new skills. Well done! Cees

Beautiful work on that rudder. It would be all to easy to just copy the work you did on the MK XIV Spit, but no you researched the way American fabric is applied and get something noticeably different as a result. A joy to watch and read. Cees

Thanks Nige, This review is a combined effort by Jeroen and myself. We do not know if the bomb doors were "rushed". Regarding the map holders, the aim was to have a good basic cockpit with enough room for the aftermarket to improve upon. The map holders are really suited to be represented in photo etch. No doubt Eduard will oblige here. Cheers Cees